News of the Week

Friday, July 17, 2026

Hi all!

Please take care of you during this smokey air we are having.

Your positive thought for the week: “When we have a good balance between thinking and feeling…our actions and lives are always the richer for it.” – Yo-Yo Ma

We have been working to keep things cool at the church! Our prayer is that we will be able to worship in the sanctuary on Sundays.

July 19, 2026

  • 9:30 a.m. – Worship
  • This week’s woman in the Bible is Deborah. If you want to read ahead about her, there is plenty of information about her on the internet. Search: Deborah in the Bible
  • Hoping with a cooler breeze on Saturday we can meet in the sanctuary.

July 26, 2026

  • 9:30 a.m. – Worship
  • Immediately following the service, join us for free bingo games in the lower social hall.
    • Enjoy free breakfast sandwiches made by our confirmation students
    • Buy some delicious treats at the bake sale.
    • Please consider making something for our bake sale.
    • Join us just to see the prizes!

Are You Hungry?

  • July sale: Pick-up sandwich orders on Thu, Jul 23 between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. More details on our website.
  • August sale: Ham & cheese sandwiches (soup sale will resume in the fall). Orders due this Sunday, Aug 9.

School Supply Drive

  • Our church is participating in a school supply drive hosted by Lehigh Conference of Churches.
  • Last day for donations is Aug. 2.
  • There is a box on the bench outside my office for your contributions.
  • Just a thought: Staples is having a school supply sale right now where most needed items are 25 cents each.
  • The needed item list is in your newsletter but here are the highlights: #2 pencils, pencil cases, erasers, scissors, glue sticks, markers, crayons, colored pencils, folders, rulers and a few more items if you wish to provide them.
  • The offices of the Conference of Churches are in Allentown and the supplies will be distributed at a bash there later in August. Thanks in advance for your support.

Other News

  • Our new painters have started work on the small parking lot side of the building. If you have something to do at the church, please don’t use that parking lot so they have full access for now. I’m not sure if they are working Saturday, but I have asked to have communication sent to them that we need the lot in the morning for ATF. I will let you know when they complete that side but then on Aug. 4 we will have that lot resealed, so you will need to stay off of it again for 3 days. The painters will come back in the fall to complete our window and church eaves job.
  • We served 59 individuals on Monday afternoon at ATF. Please check your schedule and come out to help with the All Things Free room give away on Saturday from 10 a.m to noon. Even if you can only help for one hour, we will be grateful. Come into the church via the office door back near the cemetery and come downstairs to the lower social hall. The clients tend to line up on the stairs at the old Village School entrance and we don’t open that door until we are all set up and ready. If you are able to arrive about 15 minutes early, we can orient you as to how you can help. This involves no heavy lifting but you will be amazed at the items that have been donated and the items our clients take. Thank you in advance.
  • We have a number of items available for free; please let Pastor Lori know if you can use them.
    • Two (2) almost-new car booster seats for children under 7
    • A stroller
    • Toilet seat bars that go over the toilet
    • A commode
  • We have a transport wheelchair that you may borrow from the church.
  • Coming Soon: Bethany Children’s Home has asked for donations of specific hair products that work on curly hair as well as some other hygiene items. The process is simple. You go to a specific page on Amazon, decide what you would like to donate to Bethany, pay for the items and have them shipped to Bethany. This is all done online. The goal is to have the Bethany youth looking and feeling their best as they go to school and work. Watch for the special email which will contain the specific way you will order and pay for these items and we thank you in advance for caring.
  • We are still collecting printer or ink cartridges as well as pens and markers that have run out of ink to recycle at Staples. To date we have raised over $325 toward Staples purchases. I have small boxes at the front and ramp doors for your “contributions.” Or you can put bags of ink cartridges outside of my office. Thanks! Keep them coming. You are an awesome support of this interesting way to recycle and get credit at Staples for future purchases.
    • NOTE: Please do not bring batteries any more. There is now a charge for battery recycling.

As always, we hold in prayer many of our members and friends who are walking through difficult seasons—facing grief, illness, loneliness, changes in living situations, and other challenges that weigh heavily on the heart. We also remember our brothers and sisters around the world who continue to recover from the devastation of war, oppression, and natural disasters.

At the same time, we give thanks for the many joys among us—birthdays and anniversaries, the gift of new life, weddings, healing and remission from illness, and countless other blessings that remind us of God’s goodness.

Peace to all,
Lori Esslinger
Part Time Pastor
Old Zionsville UCC
call or text:  610-393-3522